New York Giants star wide receiver and SUPER BOWL XLVI Champion Victor Cruz was living a rags-to-riches story. Then, in 2014, the story took a disastrous turn when Cruz sustained a devastating knee injury that ended his season last October. Cruz's improbable rise to football stardom, demoralizing injury, and his dramatic attempt at a comeback are the subject of I AM GIANT: VICTOR CRUZ, a Showtime Sports original documentary film, created in conjunction with SpringHill Entertainment, set to premiere this fall on SHOWTIME.
The announcement was made today by David Nevins, President,
Showtime Networks Inc., at the Television Critics Association's annual Summer Press Tour. The feature-length film, currently in production as Cruz works his way back into the Giants' starting lineup for this season, will be directed by Gotham Chopra (KOBE BRYANT'S MUSE,) who will executive produce alongside his partners Chris Uettwiller and Martin Roe. Cruz and his business partner Elaina Watley also will serve as executive producers under their Kennedy Blvd., banner, as will NBA star LeBron James and Maverick Carter, CEO of SpringHill Entertainment.
"Victor's story is one of tragedy and triumph, fear and courage, patience and persistence," said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President & General Manager,
Showtime Sports. "NFL fans around the world cheered for New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz as he made his improbable journey from undrafted free agent to NFL superstar. This film will reveal the man inside the uniform as he faces the biggest challenge of his life. It is real-world, high-stakes drama, captured in real time in its most authentic form."
Viewers will witness the fall of a giant. In just his second season after signing a multi-million dollar contract, the former undrafted free agent tore his patellar tendon against the rival Philadelphia Eagles. The diagnosis was grim-Cruz was out for the season, maybe done for his career.
The film documents Cruz's determination to overcome that potentially dream-shattering moment. Viewers will join the reflective Giant as he employs an intense, creative and, at times, non-traditional rehabilitation process in his quest to return to form as one of the league's elite wideouts in 2015.
Despite his mental agility and toughness, no one really knows the outcome. When will he make it back? Will he make it back? And, how will he fare when he steps back on the field? I AM GIANT: VICTOR CRUZ intends to reveal the answers to those questions in a real-time, non-scripted narrative that culminates with a raw, unpredictable climax.
As the film vividly portrays, the undrafted and previously unheralded Cruz has overcome the odds before, so why would this time be any different?
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of
CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers
Showtime ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network's authentication service
Showtime ANYTIME®.
Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a
Pay-Per-View basis through
Showtime PPV. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.
Photo Credit: Amanda Westcott/SHOWTIME
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